Birth of a Warrior
by Gehatik
Summary: Kadral Lok, son of legendary Bounty Hunter Brycis Lok, and Corbin Cadera, son of Torian Cadera, attempt to complete their Verd'goten, a Mandalorian coming of age trial.
1. Chapter 1

**Birth of a Warrior**

 **Chapter 1**

 **AN: While both main characters in this fic are technically OCs, Kadral will go on to become the Sith Warrior in a future story I'm planning out. This is basically a story to flesh out Kadral and Corbin, who, unlike the rest of the SWTOR characters, have no canon backstory. Thank you to Cinlat for beta-ing this story**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bioware or SWTOR; if I did, Mako would already have returned to KOTET. I also don't own Star Wars. If I did, Legends would be still be canon.**

 **Also, kudos to anyone who can identify the real life firearms the blasters are named after.**

* * *

Mando'a terms:

 _Verd'goten_ : The traditional rite of passage from a child into an adult (literally means "Warrior Birth")

 _Beskad_ : Traditional Mandalorian saber made from _beskar_.

 _Beskar_ : Mandalorian Iron. Under skilled Mando metalsmiths, this rare metal can be forged into armor and weapons that can withstand lightsaber strikes.

 _Vod_ : Brother/ Sister (Mando'a usually does not differentiate gender). Can be used to refer to a close friend.

 _-'ika_ : suffix meaning little. Also used as a suffix to create nicknames.

 _Ad_ : Son/ Daughter

 _Buir_ : Father/ Mother

 _Haran Senaar_ : Hell Bird

 _Chakaar_ : Thief, criminal- general term of abuse.

 _Haar'chak_ : Damn it!

* * *

"Which one do I take?" Corbin Cadera asked, holding up two blasters.

"What?" Kadral Lok replied as he looked over.

"Do I take the Galaar 39," Corbin started, holding up the carbine in his right hand hand, "or the Dush'kara?" he finished, waving the bullpup-styled blaster in his left. "I mean, the Galaar hits harder, but the Dush'kara allows for much faster followup shots. I can't decide. What do you think, Kad?"

Kadral rolled his eyes at his best friend. "I think that you're spending WAY too much time on this, _vod_. They're both great blasters. Just pick one."

Corbin looked between the guns for a few more seconds before finally settling on the one in his left hand. "I'll go with the Dush'kara. The shorter length of a bullpup could be handy in in a tight space."

"Good choice. Now please tell me that's it," Kadral begged. "We need to get going. Our parents will be here to start the _Verd'goten_ any minute now. I don't know about you, but I'd rather complete my trials and become a man than fondle my blasters like I'm in a harem."

"You're just jealous because you only have eight blasters," Corbin retorted.

"It's nine, and that's because I spend my money on things besides extra blasters that serve the same purposes as the ones I already have."

"Things like that custom _beskad_? Why do you even need a sword like that? You'd never get close enough to someone to use it before I shoot them."

"Because _beskar_ blades never run out of charge," Kadral replied.

"Neither will your blaster if you don't waste your shots," said Brycis Lok, Great Hunt Champion and Kadral's father, as he walked into the room. Mako, Brycis's wife, and Torian Cadera, Corbin's father and Brycis's best friend, came in behind him.

"Kad'ika has a point, though," Torian commented. "A _beskad_ can take any punishment and still be as functional as the day it was made. Besides, there's a certain finesse in fighting with a melee weapon."

" _Buir_! You're supposed to be on my side," Corbin complained.

"Enough, boys. Now line up so I can save this moment. Oh I'm so excited! My _ad'ika_ is finally going to become a man!" Mako practically squealed.

"I know, Mom. The entire kriffing GALAXY knows!" Kadral said in an exasperated tone.

"I take it you got my birthday surprise…" Mako said, ignoring her son's foul language.

"Vandalizing the top five biggest sites on the holonet with 'Happy 13th'?"

"Come on! You know you liked it. Now line up," Mako commanded again. She smiled as she analyzed the two boys, who looked so much like their fathers. Corbin had his father's lanky build and blonde hair, while Kadral's face mirrored many of his Brycis's chiseled features, although his darker skin and hair color obviously came from her. "Now hold up your weapons so I can get them in the shot." Corbin held up his Dushkara and Kadral held up his own blaster, a Grek-3 carbine.

Mandalorian Weapons Industries, and Hock and Kechler- good choices," Brycis noted, nodding with approval at their choice of blaster manufacturers.

"Definitely," Torian agreed.

Mako took the picture with her implants and added it to an album of photos in her implant that she felt so lucky to have. After losing so many loved ones, being with a family for over a decade felt surreal. She was finally allowing herself to hope it would last, but then, she had thought the same about Braden… Shaking her head to clear herself of depressing fears, she followed her family to the _Haran Senaar_ , the old D5 Mantis that had served them for so long. Settling herself into the pilot seat, she punched a set of coordinates into the nav as she listened to Brycis brief her son and adoptive nephew on their _verd'goten_.

"Your _verd'goten_ will have two parts. The first is a beast hunt, the second is a bounty contract," Brycis started. "We will be monitoring your progress, but will not intervene unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. The entire trial will take place on Alderaan," he added, starting to pace. "Your beast hunt will require you to obtain three Vorn tiger pelts. After that, you begin your bounty hunt. Your target is an Alderaanian noble: Silus Ulgo. He is part of an inter-house group of Alderaanian lords who have been illegally siphoning funds from various accounts to boost their power. Unfortunately for him, he decided to sell out on his partners to the planetary government in exchange for immunity, protection, and, likely his main reason, a hefty informant reward. I normally hate dealing with Alderaanian nobles, but I make an exception if I can punch them," he said with a grin. "The group just wants Silus dead, and the only stipulation is that there be no way his death could appear accidental. They want to make sure that no one else tries to profit at their expense. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Kadral said, pumping his fist. "Where do we find this _chakaar_?"

"That's the first part of your trial. You should have all your research done before we land on Alderaan and you start your beast hunt," Torian answered with a chuckle. "Alderaan's a big planet, but don't worry, we'll start the tiger hunt near the city where Mako thinks he's holed up."

"I don't think, I know!" she yelled indignantly from the cockpit.

"You'll have fun, Vorn tigers are a challenging prey," Torian continued, ignoring Mako's outburst.

"I'll give you a hint: House Alde" Brycis added.

* * *

Over the next few days, as they flew through hyperspace from Mandaloreto Alderaan, Kadral and Corbin did some researching. Kadral had learned a decent amount about slicing from his mother, and, while he wasn't nearly as good as she was, he was competent enough to slice into House Alde computers and find a few interesting things.

"Well," Kadral announced, "it looks like Silus Ulgo is staying in Alde Castle, and he's got a decent amount of security. That's going to be a challenge to handle."

"Hold on," Corbin mused, looking up from tuning his blaster. "Didn't you say something about some social function coming up in five days? That would provide a good distraction."

"Yes," Kadral replied, frowning. "But noble guests will bring guards, meaning we'll have even more security to deal with."

"True, but their priority will be the noble's they're paid to protect," Corbin countered, "If we don't get close to them, they shouldn't bother us."

"Maybe, Kadral said cautiously. "So how do we get in?"

"We both have jetpacks," Corbin answered. "We can fly up to his floor."

"No, the jetpacks have a flame, we'll be seen by every guard in the area."

"True, I guess that idea is shot down," Corbin quipped, causing Kadral to groan. That was when he noticed the smile forming on Corbin's face.

"You're getting that smile again." Kadral said nervously. "You always get that smile when you either have a great-sounding idea that ends terribly, or a terrible idea that ends great."

"This is definitely the latter. What if we go in-" he paused for effect, causing Kadral to roll his eyes," -as guests?"

"I think that is a terrible idea that will end terribly, Kadral replied, facepalming. "How will we smuggle our weaponry in?"

Suddenly, Mako's voice came over the computer's speakers, startling both boys. "Don't listen to Kad'ika. That sounds like a great idea. And don't worry about your weapons and armor, we can mail them and, as long as you remove the power packs and any explosives, no one will check the contents. Once you're at the party, you can break into the mail room and retrieve your gear."

"Wait, go in without our gear?" Kadral asked incredulously.

"Oh, don't worry. Nothing will happen," his mom reassured. "I can have it rush-delivered right after you finish the beast hunt, and it'll be sitting safe and sound in that mail room. You just have to get your armor to me by the day before the party."

"I don't know…" Kadral said, looking like he was trying to think of any other option.

"Come on, _Vod_ ," Corbin encouraged. "We need to learn to be less dependent on our armor, and we can take down three Vorn tigers in three days."

" _Haar'chak_! I can't think of any other way in," Kadral admitted, frustrated. He was quiet for a moment before finally agreeing. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Great!" Mako said excitedly. "I'll send the measurements for your suits to a shop near where we'll land. Don't worry, I'll make sure it'll fit over a concealable chest-plate."

"Suits? You mean fancy suits?" Kadral asked nervously. "I'm starting to reconsider storming the guards."


	2. Chapter 2

**Birth of a Warrior**

 **Chapter 2**

 **AN: Please Read and Review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own anything... At all...**

* * *

 _Mando'a_ words:

 _Beskar'gam:_ Mandalorian iron armor

 _Buir_ : Father/ Mother

 _Verd'goten_ : coming of age trial

 _Ad_ : Son/ Daughter

 _Osik_ : Crap

 _Uj'alayi_ : a flat, dense, sticky cake made with fruit and nuts.

 _Vode_ : Brothers

 _Oya_ : Let's Hunt! Used as a call to arms, adventure, or general badassery.

* * *

It was approximately 30 minutes until the _Haran Senar_ would land on Alderaan, and Kadral and Corbin were both finishing packing for their hunting trip.

"All systems are go," Kadral stated after a diagnostics check of his red and black _beskar'gam_. "Plates are solid, joints are oiled, comm and sensor arrays functioning, jetpack primed and calibrated, seal integrity good. What about you?" he asked, looking at Corbin's green and orange armor.

"All those are check. Now, onto my favorite part: weapons," Corbin announced with a gleam in his eye. "Here's my Regious 700," he said, holding up a heavily modified slugthrower sniper rifle.

"How much of that gun is factory original?" Kadral asked.

"Just the bolt," Corbin answered with a chuckle. "What about you? You said you were bringing a slugthrower like me in case our prey had a tough hide, but you've been secretive on what exactly you were bringing."

"I am glad you asked," Kadral said as he reached for his own, larger rifle case with a look of excitement. "Like you said, a slugthrower might be useful during the beast hunt Torian was obviously going to give us; so I bought something I've had my eye on for a long time." He opened the case to reveal a massive slugthrower.

"Th-That's a Balmorran N82: the only high-caliber, semi-automatic slugthrower sniper in the galaxy!" Corbin gushed. "Those things cost as much as speeder! How did you afford that?"

"By not buying a bunch of less-expensive guns I didn't need," Kadral replied with a laugh. "That, and the fact that _Buir_ increased my cut in the last several bounty missions we took."

"What's it chambered in?" Corbin asked as he reverently ran his hand over the barrel.

"12.7 mil," Kadral answered. "If you're gonna make a hole, you might as well make a big one."

"As your dad says, 'There's no kill like overkill,'" Corbin quoted, mimicking Brycis's gravelly voice and causing both boys to chuckle. "Alright, onto the camping gear," he announced, changing subject as he pulled up a checklist on his datapad, "I'll read off what we need, you tell me if we have it."

"Ok," agreed Kadral as he looked over their surprisingly small pile of equipment.

"First the essentials. Rations: five days each, just in case."

"Check."

"Water: four liters apiece."

"Check."

"Water filters."

"Uh- check."

"Shelter tarp."

"Check. With our armor, that covers food, water, and shelter. What about the rest?"

"Lamp."

"Check. It's charged, too."

"Stove."

"Check. And here are some spare power packs for it and the lamp.

Corbin looked up with a grin. "That was going to be my next thing. After that is cooking pots."

"Let me make sure they're all here… Check."

"Skinning knives."

"Check."

"Game bags- big enough to hold a Vorn tiger pelt."

"Check."

"Ammo for my 700."

"Check. And here's some full mags for my N82 as well," Kadral said as he pulled a container from where he had hidden it from Corbin. "Guess that's everything," he said with a grin that betrayed his excitement.

"Yeah!" Corbin agreed. "I feel like we're missing something, though."

"I can't think of anything, and I'm supposed to be the responsible one," Kadral assured as he patted his friend on the shoulder.

* * *

"Well, _ad_ , this is where we part ways," Brycis told his son as they stood near the now-landed D5 Mantis. "Don't worry, I'll be watching you, but you won't know I'm there. And, I give you my word I won't listen in. This is a good chance to bond with your best friend, and I don't want you to worry about your parents hearing private conversations. That goes for your mom, as well," he half-yelled, pointedly looking at Mako.

"Fine," she agreed dejectedly.

"I'm proud to have trained you." Brycis continued, "You'll do well."

"Thanks, _buire_ ," Kadral told his parents.

"Corbin," Torian said, turning to his son, "I'm proud of you. Even when your mom died, you were never a burden. I'm honored to call you my _ad_." With those short, but meaningful words from their fathers, the boys shouldered their packs and weapons, and started hiking.

After a few hours, they figured they had traveled roughly ten kilometers deeper into the massive forest where they hoped to find the Vorn Tigers. "You seen any scratch marks?" Corbin asked, referring to their quarry's method of marking its territory: using its deadly claws and horns to scratch unique markings into trees. Vorn tigers were notorious for viciously attacking anyone who wandered into their hunting grounds, attacking all trespassers with the same claws and horns they used to mark the trees that bordered their territory. Their idea was simple: why stalk their prey, when they can make their prey stalk them?

"No," Kadral answered without looking away from the trees that surrounded them. He felt like something was watching him, but couldn't figure out what it was. Suddenly, he pitched forward as a massive force smashed into his back. He heard the sound of something scraping across the collar of his armor and knew that the strip of _beskar_ there was the only thing that kept his spine from being ripped from his body.

"Kad!" he barely heard over the snarling. Then there was a loud crack, followed by a yelp, and the weight on his back shifted. Kadral took that opportunity to attempt bucking his attacker off, but only succeeded in gaining enough wiggle room to roll over.

To his amazement and terror, a massive, horned head loomed over him. Razor sharp teeth descended upon him and he barely managed to stuff his armored left forearm into the creature's mouth. Its head began shaking, and Kadral was terrified that the creature would dislocate something in his dominant arm.

A flash of movement caught his eye as Corbin body-slammed the Vorn tiger off of him and embedded his gauntlet blade into the creature's neck. Blood spurted from the wound when he jerked the knife free, but the beast, seemingly unfazed by a second supposedly lethal wound, turned on its attacker, gouging the paint in Corbin's armor and knocking him backward.

Thinking quickly, Kadral drew his Stuger Kitehawk from his thigh holster and rapidly fired six blasts into the creature's neck. At least one of them severed the beast's spinal cord, and it collapsed on the ground- still barely alive. Corbin walked over to his rifle, chambered another round, and shot the Vorn tiger between the eyes. Kadral cautiously nudged it with his foot to ensure that it was truly dead before looking up at his friend.

"I'm pretty sure that's it," Corbin announced. "How's your arm?"

"It feels like it almost got ripped off," Kadral growled, checking it for any major damage. He winced as his fingers pushed on a particularly sensitive spot, but was relieved to find that it was just a bruise. "My armor held. I'm sore, but that's it. Looks like your armor saved you too," he said, gesturing to three gouges in Corbin's chest plate.

"Looks like it did," Corbin agreed. "How does the rest of the galaxy get along without this stuff? I've seen a ton of beings with guns almost as expensive as a starship and not a shred of armor."

"Me too. And a good chunk of them were dead. Blasters are great, but they don't do squat if your opponent shoots first. Anyway, let's get this thing skinned," Kadral said, pulling out his skinning knives.

An hour later, the Vorn pelt had been stashed in one of their game bags, and the boys began listening for a stream to wash in. After a quick search (this time with much more caution than they exercised before), they found one and, after refilling their water supply, began rinsing the blood and gore off their knives and themselves.

"I thought Vorn tigers were supposed to mark their territory pretty well, but I guess not as well as we thought," Corbin mused.

"Apparently," Kadral agreed as he scrubbed dried blood from a skinning blade. "So, what do you think about just setting out camp where we killed the tiger? It's getting kind of late, and since Vorn tigers are diurnal and territorial, that place should be safe."

"You know that, and I know that, but do the Vorn tigers know that?" Corbin answered, punctuating his statements with the bone saw he was cleaning.

"Good point. Just in case, we should probably take turns keeping watch," Kadral suggested.

"Good idea," Corbin agreed as he began stowing his now-clean skinning kit.

* * *

Getting ready to cook was easy, as it simply consisted of preparing a small bed of coals. Or a large one, if Corbin was involved. A spray from the flamethrower on his gauntlet quickly dried and ignited several large logs and branches, which died down to a scorching bed of coals- eventually. After cooking some of the Vorn tiger meat (including the heart, as per Mandalorian tradition), the boys realized they forgot one very important thing.

" _Osik_!" Kadral swore, "We forgot to pack plates and forks."

"Kriff, you're right!" Corbin moaned, hammering his fist onto the ground. "Looks like we'll be eating with just our knives."

After several attempts and burns (along with a cut tongue on Kadral's part), they got the hang of eating without utensils- mostly. They supplemented the meat with vitamins from their rations and ate a desert of _uj'alayi_ , also from their rations. They saved a little bit of the leftover meat for breakfast, and carried the rest of the carcass a few hundred meters from the camp for scavengers to eat. As much as they hated to leave good meat, there was just no way to save it all.

After that, they began preparing for the night. Since both of them were night people, they flipped a coin for who would get the morning watch, and Kadral was the unlucky one. The coals were still more than sufficient to rebuild the fire to the ludicrous proportions Corbin enjoyed, and, with no sign of rain, they decided to not put up a shelter. Corbin found a rock to sit on, and Kadral simply made a bed of branches and laid down. Knowing it'd be a while before he could fall asleep, he began talking with his friend. "Thanks for having my back out there today, Corb. I don't think I'd have survived without you."

"No problem," Corbin told him. "We're _vode_. It's what we do."

"You know," Kadral said with a nostalgic smile in his voice, "It's nice having you as my _vod_. I've made a lot of friends, and had to leave a lot behind, but I've always had you. Not everyone can say they've been friends since they were born.

"Ditto," was Corbin's simple reply.

The boys slipped into silence, and, not long after, Kadral fell asleep. Five hours later, an exhausted Corbin woke him for shift change. The boy curled on the ground with barely a, "good night," before he slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

Night gave way to morning in a beautiful sunrise framed by a nearby mountain range with a name neither boy could remember. Kadral, who had been bored out of his mind for the past several hours, was glad to be able to wake Corbin up. Corbin did not share in his enthusiasm and showed it with a semi-conscious burst from his flamethrower in Kadral's general direction. Kadral, having had to wake Corbin before, expected this and managed to avoid getting singed. Both boys warmed and ate the rest of the meat, buried the remaining coals, and headed out to find their next tiger. Inspired by the view and the memory of their kill, the two looked at each other and, without prompting, simultaneously roared, " _Oya_!," full of excitement about their new day and their new hunt.


	3. Chapter 3

**Birth of a Warrior**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Star Wars, as evidenced by the fact I _don't_ own a Barrett M82 (the real life gun Kadral's slugthrower is based on).**

* * *

Mando'a words:

 _Sharal shebs_ : Lazy butt

 _Oya_ : Let's hunt!

 _Ne'johaa_ : Shut up

 _Beskad_ : A traditional Mandalorian saber made from mandalorian iron

 _Beskar_ : Mandalorian iron: an incredibly tough metal capable of resisting even lightsaber blows

* * *

Alderaan was known for its gorgeous scenery, and Corbin and Kadral were drinking in as much as they could as they searched for another Vorn tiger. After spending the entire morning walking without seeing any sign of their prey, they decided to sit down for lunch and a strategy session.

"It wash only a few hoursh before we were attacked the firsht time, and-," Corbin began while eating a bite of ration bar. He paused to swallow, then continued. "We've been walking for a lot longer now. If we just walk a little more, one is bound to come over to us."

"I'm not sure that's how it works." Kadral said skeptically before taking a swig of water. "And I'm not sure I want to be attacked again. My arm's pretty sore. I think we should try something else."

"Like what?"

"You know all of those wild nerf things we keep seeing? Why don't we catch one and use it as bait?" Kadral suggested.

"Why not?" Corbin agreed. "We might stumble onto a wild Vorn along the way, as well. Oh, and we should kill another nerf for food," he recommended as he held up his ration bar. "I hate having to eat these things."

"So do I," Kadral told him, grimacing, "but if we kill another nerf, the smell might alert the Vorn tiger, and I'd prefer it to attack the Nerf instead of me."

"True," Corbin acquiesced. "Wait, we haven't seen Nerf for a while."

"Yeah, I think our best bet might be..." Kadral paused to check his datapad's map, "west. It looks like the trees are sparser there, and that seems to be a nerf's preferred habitat. With that, Kadral and Corbin choked down the rest of their bars and began hiking.

* * *

After going for several hours, their conversation found its way to the philosophical.

"It's funny," Corbin said, as he took in the sweeping vista ahead of him, "looking at all of this scenery, with the massive mountains and endless forests. It makes you feel so small."

"It does," Kadral agreed. "And then, you look at it compared to the galaxy, with all of the other planets, and all the mountains and forests on them. But, each one is still unique. There's no other planet exactly like Alderaan in the galaxy. There's not even a mountain exactly like the one over there," he said, gesturing at a nearby peak, "in the galaxy."

"And it's all so easy to lose," Corbin added. "Just like a man can be killed with a falling boulder. A, a city, or even a planet, can be destroyed by a wayward comet. Sure, they have defenses for that, but can you imagine how easy it could be to destroy a planet if you tried? With all of the advances in turbolasers, I bet that, someday, they'll make one big enough to blow up a planet. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the Imp scientists are working on one as we speak."

"Just what either side needs in this cold war," Kadral muttered.

"Hey, we almost there yet?"

"Hang on," Kadral told him as he checked his map again. "We're a klick away."

Pretty soon, the trees began to thin out. After walking another kilometer, the boys started to hear the distinctive sounds of a nerf herd. Following the source of the sound, they made their way over and began to scope out potential targets.

"That one looks pretty fat," Corbin suggested, identifying a nerf with his targeting laser.

"Sure," Kadral agreed. "How do we catch him?"

"I thought that was your job…"

"I thought it was _our_ job, _sharal shebs_ ," Kadral scoffed. "I don't suppose you brought a grappling line…"

"Why would I bring a grappling line since we _specifically_ said we'd avoid the mountains?" was the indignant reply.

"You have been known to bring odd things…" Kadral retorted. "Like a heater when we went to Tatooine…"

Corbin had no answer to that. After discovering that the wild nerf had no fear of humans, Corbin tried to get one to follow him by whistling.

"It's not a pet," Kadral criticized.

"Well I don't see you doing anything," Corbin countered.

"Oh yeah? Watch this. _OYA_!" Kadral shouted as he jumped on one's back. To his surprise, the beast did nothing. Kadral dug his heels into the nerf's flanks like he saw in a holodrama once. Still nothing. In desperation, he drew his Kitehawk, set it to its lowest setting, and shot the creature. This time, he got an immediate response. With a bellow, the nerf bucked Kadral off and darted to the other side of the herd and stopped. The other nerf watched him run, then returned to their eating.

"What was I supposed to watch?" Corbin asked with mock innocence, wiping a laughter-induced tear from his eye.

" _Ne'johaa_ ," Kadral growled, rubbing his back.

After several more failed ideas, Corbin had reached his limit. "Kriff this," he announced. He grabbed a rock and slammed in onto the nearest nerf's head, knocking it unconscious. Corbin then turned toward the rest of the herd and ignited his flamethrower, yelling and blasting wildly. That finally got the rest of the herd's attention, sending them stampeding away. "If we can't lead a nerf from the herd, let's just scare the herd from the nerf," he justified to a startled Kadral.

"Can't argue with results," Kadral said with a laugh. "Let's just find a spot and wait."

fter a few hours of waiting, the nerf woke up and resumed his grazing, either oblivious or not caring that he was alone. Exploration of the forest yielded some vines, which they used to tie up the nerf.

* * *

Eventually, nightfall came. Deciding against a fire, and once again noting that there seemed to be no chance of rain that night, Corbin merely laid down, as it was Kadral's turn for first watch. Unfortunately, Corbin was even more of a night person than Kadral. After ten minutes of staring at the sky, he broke the silence.

"What kind of girls are you into?"

"Huh?" came Kadral's confused reply.

"Girls. They're like guys, but hotter. I'm bored, I can't fall to sleep, and your mom swore to not listen in for once."

"I don't know…. I guess one who wants to see the galaxy, Kadral told him after a moment of thought. "I haven't thought about it too much."

"Biggest thing I'm looking for is a sense of humor," Corbin announced. "And a blonde. Blondes always look better."

"Good luck finding a girl who shares your nutty sense of humor," Kadral said.

"Yeah, haven't met anyone yet I'd be interested in. What about you?"

"Nalah," Kadral answered.

"Nalah?" was Corbin's surprised reply. "The Togruta girl the Skiratas adopted? Never figured you were into aliens."

"She catches my eye. What can I say?"

"Valid point. He he he… Nalah…" Corbin chuckled, drifting off.

* * *

It was still dark when Kadral awoke to a persistent tapping on his breastplate. Unamused, he grabbed Corbin's wrist and attempted to put him into an armlock. Unfortunately, Kadral was still groggy and, after a quick exchange of countermoves, found himself pinned by his grinning friend.

"Vorn tigers might get up early. I figured you'd want to get up earlier," Corbin answered as he helped Kadral to his feet. After eating some ration bars, the boys climbed a tree near their still-tied nerf and waited, thankful that their suits and helmets would mask their scent and allow them to talk to each other via comm without alerting their quarry. The sunrise was spectacular, but the waiting was not. Six hours later, they still had seen no sign of their quarry. Shortly past the seven hour mark, their patience was rewarded when a blue shape emerged from the brush unexpectedly close to the nerf, dispatching it with a skillful bite to the neck.

"Let me get this one," Kadra whispered, though there was no need.

"You think you can kill it in one shot?" Corbin asked.

"You kidding? This is an N82. I can kill a building," Kadral replied with mock indignation. He took careful aim, adjusted for distance, held his breath, and gently squeezed the trigger on the exhale. The shot was true. The tiger's head snapped to the side as its body collapsed to the ground. With a whoop, both boys jumped to the ground and ran to their kill. After confirming it was dead, they set their rifles against a tree and pulled out their skinning kits. They were halfway through the messy procedure when Kadral felt a funny feeling in the back of his skull- identical to the one he felt just before the first tiger jumped them. He unholstered his Kitehawk and slowly walked toward a thick mass of bushes.

"What's up, Kad?" Corbin asked, distracting his friend for a split second.

Seeming to take advantage of this momentary lapse of attention, a gigantic Vorn tiger, much larger than the previous two, burst from the bushes. Kadral managed to fire off one shot point blank into the beast before his blaster pistol was knocked from his hand and he hit the ground. The powerful shot didn't seem to affect the monster, which immediately turned its attention from the stunned boy to Corbin. He barely managed to draw his own weapon before it charged at the boy.

Corbin found himself pinned to a tree by meter long horns before he managed to fire off a shot. The blaster wrenched from his hands and vanished into the undergrowth. Dazed, he activated his flamethrower, dousing his attacker with the intense fire. The creature flinched away from the heat, and, snapping his head to the side, sent Corbin flying several meters. His helmet had been loosened when he hit the tree, and this second impact finally knocked his helmet off.

The smell of burnt fur filled the air, but their attacker still seemed a long ways from dying. Kadral looked over at the tree where their rifles were, and realized that it was a good fifteen meters away. He ran toward it, the sound of the beast close behind. Clearly it had no intention of letting either boy maintain a solid attack.

Kadral barely managed to turn around and grab his _beskad_ 's hilt before the Vorn tiger's weight was upon him. He drew his blade, slashing the beast as he did so, and plunged it to the guard into the monster's flank. It roared in agony, pawing at the blade to remove it, but only driving it deeper. Furious, it once again turned on the one who had wounded it so grievously, and swiped at him with a paw the size of the boy's chest. Kadral tumbled for several seconds, and spent several more trying to recover. By this time, Corbin had made it to Kadral's pistol and proceeded to fire off two shots as the tiger turned it's sights back to him. Both shots hit the monster right between the eyes, stunning it long enough for Corbin to successfully, but barely, roll away from its horns.

Meanwhile, Kadral was once again looking at his rifle, which was now even further away than it was before. He was utterly terrified. This creature was tougher, stronger, smarter, and faster than the first two tigers. He was easily making sure both boys were on the ground as much as they were trying to fight, and the attacks were starting to take their toll. The wound Kadral inflicted with his _beskad_ would likely be fatal, but not before the tiger finished them off. Corbin had no helmet, meaning the next blow he received would probably end the fight for him, and an area on Kadral's right arm that was unguarded by _beskar_ plates had been slashed by the most recent blow he had received. Blood poured from the laceration at a worrying rate. Brycis and Torian were likely coming to their rescue, but, unless they arrived in the next few seconds, they might be too late.

The tiger, realizing his charge had missed, whirled on Corbin. The boy almost stepped out of range, but still was nicked by one of the monster's claws, opening an eight centimeter cut on his cheek. Kadral knew his friend only had seconds to live. He looked back at the rifles, knowing he could never reach his in time.

In desperation, he reached out and, to his amazement, he felt an odd power flowing through him. The rifle, seemingly on its own accord, flew into his hand. Kadral had no time for surprise. He turned on the beast and fired from instinct borne from hundreds of hours on the target range. Kadral didn't stop firing until he had emptied the the remaining nine rounds into the Vorn tiger. The slugs, each with a diameter of 12.7 millimeters, all punched completely through its chest cavity, shredding the internal organs inside. The recoil from so many high-powered rounds wreaked havoc on his left arm, still sore from his encounter with the beast. With the last shot still ringing in his ears, the rifle dropped from his nerveless fingers. It was worth it, though. With a final, defiant roar, his foe fell on the ground, and didn't rise again. Corbin stood up, shook his head, tried to wipe the blood off his cheek, and said with his trademark grin, "Guess it really can kill a building."

"Well done, _Ad_ ," Brycis's voice came from the treeline.

"We came as fast as we could, but arrived just in time to see Kadral's last few shots," Torian added.

"I'll call for Mako," Brycis told them, pulling out his holocomm, "Torian can start skinning it. You boys take a rest. You deserve it."

"Indeed," Torian agreed. "I've seen many a more experienced hunter fall to a monster of his size. You were lucky."

"Lucky…" Kadral muttered to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Birth of a Warrior**

 **Chapter 4**

 **AN: This is my longest chapter yet. Still short by many standards, but I'm enjoying learning the fine art of writing ( _ori'vor'e_ , Cinlat). It's much more dialogue heavy, and introduces many themes that will play out in my full SW story.**

* * *

 _Mando'a_ words:

 _Cyare_ : Beloved, popular. Used as a term of endearment.

 _Vod_ : Bro

 _Lek_ : Yeah. Short for _Elek_ , which means "yes."

 _Resol'nare_ : Coming-of-age trial

 _Buir_ : mother/father

 _Shebs_ : Backside

 _Ba'vodu_ : Uncle

 _Nayc_ : No (negative answer)

 _Ba'buir_ : Grandfather

 _Ad_ : son

 _Verd_ : warrior

 _Manda_ : the collective soul of past Mandalorians. The closest thing to a deity and afterlife in modern Mando culture.

 _Shabla_ : screwed up (impolite)

* * *

Brycis and Torian had often argued over what the second-most dangerous thing they had ever faced was. Brycis believed it to be Darth Tormen, a Sith Lord who tried to manipulate Brycis into assassinating the previous Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. Torian disagreed, claiming it had to be the massive Krayt dragon they hunted on Tatooine. The beast had put up a seven hour fight before finally falling. However, there was no disagreement as to what held the title of the _most_ dangerous, and it was standing before them.

"YOU SAID THAT YOU'D STAY CLOSE!" The meter-and-a-half bundle of raw fury roared at her husband and his best friend. "YOU SAID THERE WOULDN'T BE ANYTHING IN THE TRIAL NEAR THE SIZE OF THAT CREATURE!"

"In my defense, Torian said that," Brycis pleaded, desperate to turn aside Mako's wrath, even if it meant redirecting it to his best friend. It didn't work.

"I don't care what he said," Mako replied, glaring. "You should have jumped in the moment that thing attacked my son."

"But, _cyare_ …" Brycis began.

"I don't want to hear it," Mako cut him off coldly. Just then, she heard a gasp came from the medbay. "My kids need me." She spun around and left the two relieved men, tiny feet echoing with impressive force.

"Thanks, _Vod_ ," Torian whispered sarcastically.

"You _did_ say that you had killed everything that they'd have too much trouble handling," Brycis retorted, crossing his arms.

"I thought I did," Torian replied as he headed towards the cockpit. "I spent last week combing that forest for the biggest ones. That monster must have gotten through."

"You don't say," Brycis answered wryly, following him. "Fortunately, they'll be okay. It was only a concussion, a few cracked ribs, and a dislocated shoulder, along with various assorted bruises. Builds character. Speaking of which, those boys have been in the med-bay for half of yesterday and all day today. Mako's gonna make them soft."

" _Lek_ ," Torian agreed, nodding.

"Would you like to join them?" Mako's dangerously cheerful voice called out. That shut both of them up.

* * *

"What are you doing, Kad?" Corbin questioned as Kadral got off his cot and walked to the medbay's computer.

"Just… checking something," Kadral deflected as he attempted to type with his non-immobilized hand.

"Checking what?" Corbin pressed. Kadral was silent for a few moments before answering.

"My midichlorian counts. Something happened during that last fight. Records say I have a below-average level, but, _Buir_ is such a great slicer, I don't trust that. I want to see the real ones while she's "discussing" our hunt. By the sound of things, I should have plenty of time." He scrolled down and clicked open a file. Immediately, his eyes widened. "Stang, those are high," he gasped.

"Let me see," Corbin said as he walked up to lean over Kadral's shoulder. "Those are your numbers? Remind me not to mess with you ever again…"

"Would you like to join them?" Mako's voice came from close by.

"Haar'chak," he muttered, mentally kicking himself for his earlier gasp and hammering the back button.

"What are you doing?" Mako's asked sternly from the doorway.

"N-Nothing," was Kadral's lame reply as he spun around to face her, unbalancing Corbin, who had been leaning on the back rest.

"Wait a minute," Mako said as her eyes narrowed further. Her shoulders suddenly slumped. "You saw it. You saw your numbers."

"Yeah," Kadral answered her. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't want anyone else to find out," Mako explained. "You know the Imperial law. I didn't want them to take you. The Mandalorians are allied with the Sith, but we have several fundamental differences. The Sith have no honor; no respect for anyone not Force-sensitive." The words came out with a seer.

"I wasn't going to let you be raised by those monsters. You're my son, and I am not sharing you. You'll be an adult in a few days, and then you can do what you will. I was planning on telling you after you passed your _resol'nare_ , and leaving the choice of whether or not to go to Korriban up to you. I- I hope," she stammered as tears started welling in her eyes, "You'll stay a little longer. Thirteen years is too short of a time." Kadral took a moment to process the information, then stood up and threw his arms around his mom. Mako immediately returned his embrace.

"Don't worry," he reassured her, "I've got a lot more to do before I even think of going to that hell-hole of a planet." With that, he let go, allowing Mako to wipe her eyes.

"That means so much to me," she sniffled, still a bit choked up. "Anyway, you've still got this evening and tomorrow to finalize your plans for this mission." She suddenly smiled, "I can't wait. I've always wanted to go to an Alderaanian ball…"

"Wait-" Kadral interjected suspiciously. "I thought it was just Corb and I going."

"Oh no," Mako replied with a giggle. "They'd never let two boys in by themselves. That's why I whipped up some invitations for me, your father, and Torian, too."

"Oh boy…" Corbin muttered. "I knew you had a reason for backing my idea."

"Yep, Bryc and I are going dress shopping in a few hours. Oh, I'm so excited."

"Let us have a moment of silence for your poor _buir_ ," Corbin quipped.

"Shut it, you," Mako said, slapping her surrogate son on the shoulder. Corbin cringed at the contact. "Oops, I forgot about that shoulder. I'm so sorry," she winced as she walked out of the room and headed toward the cockpit.

"I thought you had the big bruise on your right shoulder, not your left," Kadral accusinged.

"She didn't need to know that," Corbin grinned as he waggled his eyebrows. Kadral simply rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Alright boys, you've spent enough time on your _shebs_ ," Brycis announced two hours later.

"But, _Ba'vodu_ , Mako said we could stay in here the rest of the evening," Corbin complained to his honorary uncle.

"That she did," Brycis agreed with a sadistic smile, "until I pointed out to her that you still have to try on your fancy suits. We're Mandalorians: if one of us suffers, we all suffer."

"Is it still too late to switch back to storming the guards?" Kadral asked.

"Yes. Yes it is," Brycis replied as he hit the switch leaning the beds up. Both boys winced as the movement aggravated their wounded ribs. "Corbin, could you leave me and Kad'ika alone for a moment?"

"Sure," came the reply. It took a few moments for Corbin to get on his feet, but after Corbin shakily left the room, the Great Hunt champion turned to his son.

"Mako told me you know."

"About the fact I'm Force sensitive? Yeah."

"What got you curious?" Brycis asked as he sat down on Corbin's vacated cot.

"I- I used the Force," Kadral said in a way that sounded like he still couldn't believe what happened. "The tiger was about to finish Corbin, my rifle was far away, and I was terrified. Then it just… sort of… flew. To me. I don't know what I did, I just did it. I'm surprised I'm Force sensitive; don't you and _buir_ have a really low midichlorian count?"

"Mako does," Brycis answered after a moment. "Mine is actually a bit higher than yours."

"Wait," Kadral said incredulously. "You're Force-sensitive? I guess that explains why you're such a great warrior."

" _Nayc_ ," Brycis answered him with a small smile. "I can't tap into the Force at all. Can't hear it, touch it, anything. According to a Voss mystic, someone did something to keep me from using the Force. The mystic thought it was my father. I don't know much about who he was, other than the fact that he was a slave who was bred with my mother. He somehow became a Sith lord and freed us, though I remember little about him. I just remember he had blonde hair and was with a Togruta. He must have done something to suppress my Force capabilities while he was relocating my mom and me. Whatever he did apparently didn't carry on to you."

"You've never talked about _Ba'buir_. Now I know why," Kadral stated slowly, still considering what he'd heard. "Do you ever get mad at him for doing that?"

"Not really. There have been times I wished I could use the Force. Riaca's death was one of them," Brycis sighed, referring to Torian's wife. Then, his voice became lighter. "But, I realize that, had he not suppressed my Force powers, I likely would have been picked up by the Sith or Jedi. Then, I'd never have met the most beautiful woman in the galaxy, or the greatest friend," he pointed out with a smile. "You're different, _ad_. You're about to become a Mandalorian _verd_. If you choose to develop your Force skills, I have faith that whoever trains you won't change who you are. You will always be Mandalorian. And you will always be my _ad_."

"That means a lot to me, _Buir_ ," Karal told his father, looking him in the eye. "I don't know what I'll do after this trial, but I swear that I will never disappoint you or the _Manda_."

"I'm proud of you," Brycis told him, slapping him on the shoulder. Kadral barely avoided crying out. "And yes," Brycis chuckled, "I know that was bad one."

With that, father and son left to prepare for landing.

* * *

Brycis hated shopping for anything that wasn't designed to kill or keep him from being killed. He was fortunate in that his wife was not prone to the activity often, but there was one exception: Mako loved to shop for dresses. Sadly for her, the people who tended to populate events requiring formal wear were almost always snobs, so Mako rarely had an occasion to purchase such finery. However, when she did, it seemed to Brycis that she reverted back to the little girl she never had a chance to be. The change was subtle, but her posture became slightly more relaxed, her smile a little bit different. It was that sight that made the whole ordeal bearable, maybe even enjoyable.

"How does this one look?" Mako asked, twirling around in a sapphire dress.

"You look lovely, _Cyare_ ," he replied with a smile.

"Not me, the dress."

"The color looks… off…" he cautiously observed. Mako stared at herself for a few seconds, then nodded her head.

"I think you're right," She agreed as she disappeared into the changing room. Brycis heard rustling, and then a little bit of grunting.

"Need some help in there?" he asked.

"Almost… got it… There," Mako said with a half sigh. She opened the door and Brycis's eyes nearly popped out of his head. She spun around in a tight black dress with a very low neckline and a slit in the side that went up to her waist.

"Kriff that looks amazing," Brycis muttered.

"You like it?," his wife asked with a sultry grin.

"Too much," he gulped, looking around the shop to see if anyone else was looking at them. He noticed Torian paying an abnormal amount of attention to a tuxedo he was examining. "I don't think the mission will go well if I'm too busy staring at you."

"I won't mind," she replied, giving him a quick peck.

"Well _I'll_ mind all those nobles staring at you as well, and last time I minded what a noble was doing, he needed some dental reconstruction. Hang on to it, though. I do want to see you in it again."

"Get a room, you two," Torian called out. Mako blushed and shrunk back into the changing room. When she emerged, she was wearing a forest dress with a more modest cut, though it still showed off her curves. Brycis wasn't a fashionista, but he knew when something looked good.

"It's perfect. Seeing you in that dress reminds me of the painting over there," he told her, gesturing at an elegantly mounted portrait of an Alderaanian sunrise. "It's merely a frame for a woman of exquisite beauty." Mako tried to hold in her laughter, and succeeded for only a few seconds.

"That is the cheesiest thing I've ever heard you say. Where did you hear it?"

"Read it in a book," he replied sheepishly. "But, I meant it from the bottom of my heart."

Mako smiled and gave him a hug, telling him, "I know you do. Now let's make sure those boys haven't done too much damage.

* * *

"Whoever designed these _shabla_ things should be court-martialed, shot, and sent to the Hoth front," Kadral muttered, quoting an old war holocomedy to express his dislike towards the rather sharp Alderaanian dress suit he was wearing. "I feel simultaneously naked and claustrophobic in this thing."

"That sounds like an oxymoron if I ever heard one," his father observed with a chuckle.

"I get what he means," Corbin spoke up as he tested the flexibility of his identical clothing. "I have nothing to fight with, but, even if I did, I don't have the freedom of movement to do anything."

"It's not that bad," Torian told his son. Yeah, there's some movement impairment, but it's minimal. Plus, Brycis and I will be bringing your holdout blasters."

"Oh yeah, we should probably give those to you," Kadral noted. He pulled a small holster and some spare power packs from his nearby boot. He smiled with nostalgia at the oh-so familiar feel of the Mith and Swesson Shield in his hands. "Haven't had this as my primary weapon for a few years," he commented.

The blaster was the first real weapon he had ever owned, given to him by his parents when he was eight. Back then, his whole hand fit on the grip without requiring the extended power packs he now carried. "Here you go," he said as he handed the blaster and spare packs to his father, who tucked them in the back of his belt behind his own blaster pistol, a Kimbus Shadow with so many modifications that it was likely worth as much as a star yacht.

"Remember boys," Brycis said in his "briefing" tone, "You two are acting as brothers: Kaden and Curin Girard. I will be your father, Lord Brian Girard, and my wife is Lady Mariah Girard. Torian will be my personal bodyguard, Tosin Geld. You are to act as nobles until the party slows down. That means no burping," he said, looking pointedly at Corbin, who smiled innocently. "Also, try to avoid any long conversations with people who will be able to describe you." He took a breath. "Any questions?"

"What if someone from House Girard is there?" Kadral asked.

"I've worked with them in the past. The only member who will be there has been handsomely paid to back up our identity," Brycis answered him. "Any other questions?" None were posed, so the group clambered into the expensive speeder they had rented for the op.

After a rather long ride, they pulled up in front of an of an ornate building. Torian handed the key to a valet, and the group approached the guard station.

"You're both carrying three blasters?" a guard asked of Brycis and Torian, who, alongside the two blasters in their belt, also had holdouts in ankle holsters. "Why three?"

"Because four would be ostentatious," Brycis answered, confidently strolling past. Even though they had seen pictures, the sheer magnificence of Alde castle's ballroom stunned Corbin and Kadral. However, their awe was quickly interrupted by an aroma coming from the pa'lot table, which the boys quickly gravitated to. Pa'lots, a style of Alderaanian snacks, were bite sized and designed to be eaten in small quantities throughout a party. Mako's words echoed in their heads, reminding them that it was considered improper to get too much at one time. Her advice was heeded, mostly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mako was trying, unsuccessfully, to dance with her husband.

" _Cyare_ ," he whispered, "if they see me try to dance, our cover is blown."

"Come on!" she pleaded, looking up at him with what she considered her "yes" eyes. Unfortunately, this was one time he wouldn't be swayed. He looked away, and his gaze met with a man he remembered quite well. Unfortunately, that man remembered him, too.

"Hold on," Brycis told his wife, and headed to intercept his target.

"Savorin Malfus the Seventh," Brycis said with a grin, clasping the nervous-looking man on the shoulder. "It's been a while, hasn't it. Almost seventeen years, I believe."

"What are you doing here?" Savorin hissed. "This isn't a party for a bantha like you!"

"Now, now," Mako said, slipping to Savorin's other side. "I would have thought you'd have learned your lesson. By the way, your replacement teeth look excellent. You'd have to know you lost them in the first pace to tell that they are fake."

"They do look nice. It'd be a shame if something happened to them again," Brycis commented.

"I will not tolerate threats from the likes of you," Savorin whispered indignantly. "I'm going to get the guards."

"Even after all these years, your sense of entitlement still outweighs your sense of self-preservation," Mako commented with a chuckle.

"Unlike you, I've learned a lot since we've met," Brycis said offhandedly. "Including a set of nerve points I can press that will give you a stroke. Or a heart attack. And the best part is, they look like I'm just shaking your hand or clapping you on the shoulder."

"Please don't hurt me," Savorin Malfus the Seventh begged, his tone turning from impetuous to sniveling in the space of a second.

"I have no reason to do anything to you right now. And I know you won't do anything to change that fact, now won't you?"

"Yes! Yes!" Savorin's head bobbed in agreement so fast that Brycis thought the man might give himself whiplash.

"Then enjoy the party," Mako advised him. After he left, she asked her husband, "When did you learn those pressure points?"

"I don't even think it's possible to do what I said, but let's keep that between you and me," he replied with a smile.

* * *

On the opposite side of the room, Corbin meandered around, snacking on a delicious pastry filled with some kind of meat. As he looked around at the people, he noticed a brunette girl about his age standing by herself. With nothing else to do, he walked up to her.

" _Su_ -alutations," he said, barely catching himself from greeting her in Mando'a. "How are you this evening?"

"Uhh… good." she answered a bit distractedly, turning to face him.

"The name's Curin. Curin Girard," he introduced himself, giving a small bow.

"Jaesa Wilsaam," the girl replied.


	5. Chapter 5

Birth of a Warrior

Chapter 5

* * *

 _Mando'a_ words:

 _Ret'urcye mhi_ : Goodbye. Literally "Maybe we'll meet again."

 _Vod_ : Brother (can be used of close friends)

 _Ad_ : son

 _Shu'shuk_ : Disaster, big screw-up

 _Buir_ : Mother/father

 _Cyare'se_ : loved ones. Term of endearment.

 _Lek_ : Yeah

 _Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur_ : Today is a good day for someone else to die!

 _Oya_ : Let's hunt!

 _Beskar'gam_ : Mandalorian iron armor.

 _Jetiise_ : Jedi (plural). Singular is Jetti.

 _Buy'ce_ : Helmet

 _Ba'buir_ : Grandfather (or mother)

* * *

"You are uncomfortable here. Nervous, even," Jaesa noted. Corbin willed himself to maintain a calm appearance as he turned to reply, "That's an interesting way to open up a conversation, though I could say the same thing about you." He cracked a smile, "I suppose I am a bit nervous. Never been to an event like this before, and I've never talked to a girl as beautiful as you."

"I can tell," she responded. Corbin wasn't sure which of his statements she was referring to, but he didn't miss the fact she evaded the matter of her own unease.

"So why are you standing here by yourself?" he asked, breaking the ice with Mandalorian directness. His blunt question seemed to surprise the girl, though she barely showed it.

"I'm pondering," the girl answered. Corbin nodded, wondering if she'd continue. He took the opportunity to do a visual scan of the area and noticed a noble - no a Jedi - staring at them.

"You don't like the Jedi, do you?" Jaesa asked, breaking into his thoughts. He didn't think he had done anything to give that tidbit away. Then, he remembered the sureness with which she opened the conversation, and it all clicked.

"Not particularly, no. I assume that's your master watching us," Corbin observed.

"Not yet. But I start training under him soon. Is there something I should know about the Jedi before I begin training?" she probed with genuine curiosity.

"Just that they're hypocrites. They have the same darkness as all of us, but they refuse to recognize it. Or worse, they neuter themselves in an attempt to stop it."

Jaesa cocked an eyebrow. "What you're saying is that the our inner darkness is what gives us strength. That sounds like something a Sith would say."

"Don't get me wrong: I hate the Sith," Corbin said with a frown. "One manipulated my uncle and almost killed him and my father. They murder without honor and take without remorse. But that doesn't mean that parts of their philosophy aren't true. Ask any guardsman here if serenity is the best way to handle a threat. He'll tell you that losing your temper can cause mistakes, but will likely add that you need anger to fuel your drive to protect the ones in your care. I have no problem with an angry Jedi. I do have a problem with a Jedi who _claims_ to have no anger. And, I have no respect for a Jedi who won't care enough about the problems of the galaxy to get angry about them."

"There is a Jedi saying: 'Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering,'" Jaesa pointed out. "Many cultures have similar sayings about the dangers of hate. Not to the opponent, but to one's self and to those she cares about. Force sensitives are powerful and have a responsibility to keep that power in check. The Jedi follow that responsibility; Sith don't."

"I believe the entire quote goes something like, 'Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering,'" Corbin responded, smiling a bit at Jaesa's mild surprise. "The problem is, those statements are absolutes. Fear keeps us alive, but it can also hold us back. It's only when we get angry enough about the things we fear that we can do something to stop them. Anger is just a strong feeling of dislike over a wrong. The only problem with anger is if the 'wrong' isn't actually wrong. It is true that one's anger risks becoming hate, but even that has its place, though the Sith hate far more things than they should. Tell me," he challenged, "Is a Jedi's responsibility to keep her power in check, or to protect others."

"Now you've used an absolute," Jaesa countered. "A Jedi's responsibility is both. I must consider your words. You have given me much to think about." She tipped her head respectfully.

"As have you," Corbin agreed, thinking about Kadral's new powers.

"You seem quite knowledgeable of Jedi philosophy," she stated and, after a pause, added, "This question worries you." Corbin knew that she'd sense whether or not he was lying when he answered, so he stuck with the truth. Sort of.

"Jedi often represent the Republic, so my family deals with them on a regular basis. My tutors ensured that I was well educated in their ways," Corbin explained with an air of confidence that usually brokered no further questions. "Deceive decisively," Gault was fond of saying.

"'Know your enemy,' I suppose," Jaesa quoted unexpectedly.

"Hang on, I never said that!" Corbin bristled defensively.

"You didn't need to," the future Padawan said with a knowing smirk. "It's okay. I get that many nobles on Alderaan have mistrust for the Jedi. I hope to change that someday. Maybe I can even change your opinion," she suggested with a smile. Before Corbin could respond, he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.

"Time to roll," Kadral said with a subtle not of his head.

"May the Force be with you," the Jaesa said. "Maybe we'll meet again."

"Farewell," Corbin responded as Kadral yanked him back to the adults, much to Jaesa's amusement. " _Ret'urcye mhi_ ," he muttered. He noticed his vod was looking back and forth between him and Jaesa. "What?" he asked defensively.

"So much for blondes," Kadral commented with a sly smirk and a raised eyebrow.

By the time the boys returned to their parents, it had gotten late and a lot of the crowd began thinning out. Torian noted that the girl his son had been talking to had joined up with a Jedi master. She must have been his padawan. As the two left, he noticed his son still watching the girl.

"You had one job, _ad_ ," Torian told his son sternly, but not unkindly. "Don't get caught up in a detailed conversation. You had to do it with a Padawan."

"Future Padawan," Corbin muttered.

"Still, if she felt anything odd, she might report it to her master, and the mission would be a _shu'shuk_ ," he warned, slipping Corbin his holdout blaster. With that parting warning, Torian left his son to join up with Brycis and Mako. The three adults headed to an impromptu monitoring center near to the castle that Mako had set up while the boys were resting. After warming up her equipment, Mako sliced into the castle's security system. The multiple angles allowed her to track the movements of everything inside (she quickly noticed that they had a rat problem) and guide her boys to the mail room, where she'd sent their gear. A quick check of the logs ensured that it had been received and was indeed still "awaiting pickup." Mako hunched lower over the screen, "Alright, let's do this."

* * *

The boys closed the distance between them and their destination cautiously. Kadral spun around a corner, sweeping the corridor for any threat. It was as empty as his _b_ _uir_ had told him it would be. They crept down the hall, stopping at the second door on the left. Corbin poked the button to open the door, but was rejected with a soft buzz. Mako's voice came over their earpieces, "A good bounty hunter knows how to get past locks. Show me what you've got." With those words of encouragement, Corbin reached into the waistband of his pants and pulled out a small grenade.

"How'd you sneak that in?" Kadral asked incredulously. Corbin just smirked. "Corbin, No!"

"Corbin, yes!" the boy responded with a wicked grin as he attached it to the door. Kadral covered his ears and turned away as he saw Corbin activated the device. Fully expecting their cover to be blown (literally), Kadral was surprised when it made more of a pop instead of the earsplitting boom he'd expected. He turned around to see an open door and a triumphantly grinning Corbin.

"Ion grenade," he explained. "The surge in electricity activates the magnet that opens the latch. Just don't close it, because now the system is destroyed, activating the autolock failsafe."

"I was hoping to see you use the hacking skills I taught you," Mako complained into their earpieces.

"Good job, though," Torian added with a hearty laugh.

With their last obstacle out of the way, the boys walked into the mail room where they found rather large boxes addressed to their aliases. Opening their pocket knives, they tore into the packaging, exposing the contents in seconds.

"Hello, _cyare'se_ ," Corbin muttered as he pulled out his armor and weapons, gently stroking his Dushkara. Kadral rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide his grin as he felt the weight of his Beskad on his hip.

"Oh, that feels better," Kadral sighed. "Going unarmed feels so weird."

" _Lek_ ," Corbin agreed his _vod_.

" _Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur_ ," Kadral announced.

Corbin raised his blaster rifle with an enthusiastic cheer."Oya!" Filled with vigor, despite the new encumbrance from their armor, the boys stealthily headed towards the room where their quarry was staying. Due to its close proximity to the mail room, they expected it to be possible to get in, take out the target, and blow out the wall to escape before anyone could respond to an alarm.

The trip was mostly uneventful. The two boys only encountered one pair of Alde guards, who were easily taken out. Corbin tossed a quiet flash grenade that caused the unfortunate men to instinctively cover their eyes and left them wide open for pair of solid blows to the head. After crushing their comm systems, the boys continued toward their final target. Once they got to the door, stealth went out the window. Corbin set off a breaching charge, blowing the door off its hinges, and opening the way for their attack.

Inside, they encountered six guards who wore a different uniform than the standard Alde guards and were armed with distinctly non-regulation MernPeth-5 autoblasters. _Guess he wanted his own cronies to guard him_ , Kadral thought as he took aim with his Grek-3 blaster rifle and opened fire. Two of the guards dove for cover behind the couch. A fatal mistake. There was nothing strong enough to provide cover in a place like this, and no concealment from the boys's thermal visors. The fight was determined by armor and accuracy, and the boys were superior with both.

In a few seconds, the shootout was over. To their credit, the guards managed to hit Kadral three times and Corbin twice, but all five blasts were negated by their _beskar'gam_. A quick scan of the room revealed a stairway that led up to the next floor. Activating their thermals, the boys began to scan the first floor for signs of life.

* * *

Mako couldn't decide which was more fun to watch: her boys trying to be stealthy, or the the grin on their father's faces. They had just left the mail room and, according to Mako's constant stream of intel, were about to run into their set of guards. With Brycis's permission, she had adjusted the guards schedules to make sure that they'd only run into one pair. While the boys were quite skilled, trying to sneak unaided through an Alderaanian castle would likely result in a shootout that they had a slim chance of surviving. Torian nodded with approval at the way they handled the two guards, though Brycis muttered, "I'd have knifed them."

"There is no honor in killing a disabled foe without reason," Torian countered.

Brycis was about to retort, when he noticed something very wrong on the screen. One of Silus Ulgo's 'attendants' was looking straight at the security camera, and a lightsaber was now conspicuously attached to his belt. He then noticed that the other attendant and the young page boy had similarly pulled out their lightsabers.

"Fierfek! Let's move, Torian!" he barked, rushing outside and igniting his jetpack. _Looks like this might turn into a full-fledged firefight_ , he thought as he sped the half mile toward the castle, arming his missile to create his own entry point. Mako immediately began running serious interference, disabling all anti-aircraft systems on that side of the castle, and issuing orders to the guards that would give her family as much time as possible to get out of this trap alive.

* * *

An explosion rang from up stairs, and the boys raced up the steps toward the source of the noise. They entered the room to find, a massive hole in the outside wall and their fathers in a standoff with a male human and female nautolan who looked to be wearing nobleman's clothes, but weiding ignited lightsabers. Kadral noted their still smoking jetpacks before his attention was pulled back to the more immediate scene.

"-you want, _Jettise_?" they heard Brycis growl.

"Your quarry went that way," Torian yelled to the boys as he pointed at a glowing hole in the wall. "Careful," he cautioned, "He has a Padawan with him." The boys took off through the hole without question, trusting their fathers to be able to take care of this new disruption.

"Why you, of course," the male Jedi answered, stretching his sapphire blade toward Brycis. "I recognized your Force presence at the party, despite your attempts to diminish it. I'm sure you don't remember me or my master. She's likely just another face among your countless victims, but I remember you."

 _Monologuing, so typical of a Force sensitive_ , Torian thought. He wished he could roll his eyes, but didn't want to look away from his opponent for even a fraction of a second.

"I knew that Ulgo was the only reason you'd be here, and here we are," the Jedi continued. "Master Karr said that this venture was foolish, but I don't need him. Now it's time for you to pay for your crimes.

"So this is about revenge?" Brycis scoffed.

"No, it is about following the Force's Will," the human, likely the master, answered. "And the Force wills you to be brought to justice."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Brycis countered. Torian recognized the code phrase and sprang into action, swinging his techstaff at the Nautolan. His surprised opponent barely got her blade up in time.

The first Jedi had no time to assist his friend, as he suddenly found himself trying to deflect a devastating storm of blaster bolts from Brycis. A well-placed bolt left the Jedi off balance, and Brycis leapt at the opportunity, using his jetpack to supercharge a flying tackle that allowed him to disarm his foe. Meanwhile, Torian found himself against an incredibly talented duelist whose blows took a fair amount of skill to parry. He blocked a slash, then countered with a jab from his staff. The woman ducked under his blow and delivered a sweeping slash at his legs. He jumped over the blow, but suddenly felt an invisible wall knock him flying back. He had anticipated this and managed to land on his feet, but the momentary distraction gave his opponent the opportunity to land a solid blow to his helmet. The plasma blade carved a deep furrow, but was stopped by his _beskar buy'ce_ , surprising the Jedi.

"You took on a pair of Mandos without knowing we're lightsaber-proof?" Torian taunted as he landed a glancing blow to the woman's lower legs. "This'll be easier than I thought." Just then, Brycis flew into the wall beside him, likely the victim of a similar Force attack, though he used a flurry of bolts to prevent his opponent from getting in a free hit. "Or not," Torian muttered.

* * *

Kadral and Corbin bore down on their quarry, quickly closing the gap that separated them. After following two more hastily cut holes in the wall, they found themselves in a room with an open door. After using thermal imaging to ensure that no one was hiding in their immediate vicinity, they headed out the door and found themselves in a large office. Inside, the padawan had just finished cutting another hole in the wall, which Silus scurried through. He turned to face them, emerald lightsaber still ignited.

"I'll create an opening, you finish the bounty," Kadral told Corbin through their helmet comms.

"You think you can handle him?" Corbin asked.

"I'll find out," came the grim reply.

"Looks like your little game is at an end, Mandalorians," their opponent, a human of about eighteen years old sneered. He was oblivious to the silenced conversation the boys were having. "I'll give you one chance to surrender to me. I'll be merciful, and hopefully the cour-"

Kadral didn't give him time to continue. His _Ba'buir_ , Mandalore Artus Lok, was one of the greatest duelists in the galaxy and had taught him much about sword combat. Rule number one was to always take the initiative. Dropping his rifle and drawing his beskad, the young Mando rushed toward his opponent, attempting to blast through his opponent's guard with the weight of his weapon, a factor that surprised many lightsaber wielders who were used to the weightlessness of plasma. This young padawan was no exception, and Kadral managed to drive him back with a flurry of blows. After staggering his foe with a particularly powerful slash, Kadral made the mistake of looking over to check that Corbin had made it through the hole. Unfortunately, this distraction cost Kadral his advantage, allowing his opponent to gather his wits and start adjusting to the physical weight behind the _beskad_ _'s_ blows. That was when the young Mando realized he was in a lot of trouble.

Kadral now found himself giving ground as the young Jedi began deflecting his blows instead of trying to block them. It seemed like every move he made was anticipated. He barely blocked an overhead swing that transitioned into sweeping side slash. If not for the last second adjustment of his armor, he'd have been a goner. This was bad.

The boy desperately tried to think of a plan he could use to counter his opponent's prediction, but none came. His _Ba'buir_ had told him that surprise was the key, but he had sacrificed it by stupidly taking his focus off of his opponent. Suddenly, a particularly skillful blow knocked his blade out of defensive position, and his sword hand was struck by a kick delivered with far more speed and force than a normal human was capable of. His weapon flew from his hand, and a force push knocked it halfway across the room. In desperation, Kadral activated his gauntlet's vibroblade and rushed his opponent, using the _beskar_ on his gauntlet to try to knock the lightsaber away. The padawan casually pivoted to the side, and, moving at inhuman speed, grabbed the wrist with the vibroblade.

"Now you fall," he sneered, plunging his lightsaber into a gap in the _beskar'gam_. Kadral's eyes widened as the searing rod burned through his side, and he fell to the ground.

* * *

Corbin aimed his blaster rifle at the cornered wretch that was Silus Ulgo.

"Please don't kill me," the man snivelled. "I'll give you anything. I still have several assets. Uh… do you like Twi'leks? I can get you a Lethan Twi'lek. Or anything else. Just say the word, just please don't kill me."

"Oh, you're going to regret that," Corbin said, his tone darkening, though a part of his mind was wondering how old the man thought he really was. "You just turned a hit into an interrogation. Where are you getting these Twi'leks?"

"I have a slave camp," he babbled. "The government promised not to look too far into my personal businesses if I cooperated so there should be no problem getting what you want, just please don't kill me." Corbin shot him in the kneecap, causing the slaver to howl in pain.

"WHERE IS THE CA-mp?" he roared, his voice suddenly cracking. Fortunately, Silus Ulgo was still too terrified to notice that he was, in fact, dealing with a pubescent thirteen year old and instead was rightly terrified of the now smoking blaster in the boy's hand.

"On an island in the Ogluan sea." That answer didn't satisfy Corbin, who placed his blaster muzzle on top of the man's other knee.

"Specifics. Now." he demanded more quietly, not trusting his voice.

"It's two hundred kilometers north of Ildur. Uh, the island looks like a meiloorun fruit. That's all I can remember, please believe me." The man was in tears.

"I do," Corbin assured him.

"So you'll let me live?" the man asked hopefully, still clutching his ruined knee.

"Mandalorians value freedom above almost everything else. You've taken that from too many people," Corbin answered. Without any further explanation, he shot Silus Ulgo between the eyes.

* * *

Brycis had not fought dozens of Force sensitives without picking up a thing or two. They seemed tough, but they had weaknesses. Most importantly, they required concentration. He flicked a pair of flashbangs out with a split-second fuse. They detonated mid-air, filling the room with a earsplitting crack and a blinding flash that their helmet's filters two Jedi were not so lucky, though they were incredibly well trained.

They were only stunned for a split second, and seemed to be quite skilled at using the Force instead of their other senses in combat, but the distraction was noticeable, and exploitable. Torian had already taken the upper hand, and had his opponent backpedaling, something that didn't work well indoors. Brycis fired a salvo of missiles at his target, forcing the master to split his focus between maintaining a Force view of the fight and deflecting the rockets. That's when Brycis opened up once again with his blaster, firing several times at various parts of the jedi's body in less than a second.

Most of the bolts were deflected, but one got through, striking his left thigh. That was the other weakness of Jedi: they frequently avoided armor. While a Jedi could often shrug off the average blaster bolt to a non-lethal area, Brycis's custom Kimbus Shadow was anything but average. It hit with the force of a small cannon, causing the Jedi to buckle, and making him an easy target for a finishing pair of shots to center mass.

Meanwhile, Torian had backed his opponent against a wall, and had managed to press her hard enough that she couldn't recover her focus. Her blocks were becoming less effective, and she hadn't attempted an attack for a comparative while. At last, he got a solid hit in on her dominant shoulder, breaking her arm. She attempted to wield the weapon one handed, but it was a futile effort. In one smooth motion, he slapped her weapon away, drew his blaster, and shot her point blank.

"You were a worthy opponent," he told her sincerely. "It has been an honor."

As tended to be typical with Jedi, her last words were, "There is no Death, there is only the Force."

* * *

"Now you fall." The words echoed in Kadral's head as the world started to dim. In that moment, he made the decision that this would not be his fate. He refused to let this be his final chapter. A power began welling inside of him, similar to what he felt when he fought the Vorn tiger. There was a difference, though. The first time he felt it, fear had been the fuel. This time, however, it was fueled by anger. Anger at the _Jettise_ for interfering with their mission, for fighting his family, and for _daring_ to tell him when he would die.

"I may fall," he growled, "But not like this. It won't be by your hand." The Jedi swung his lightsaber again, but Kadral thrust his arm out, unleashing the gathered power into a massive wave of Force energy that knocked the Padawan several meters back.

Wasting no time, the Mandalorian reached out and instinctively summoned his _beskad_ to his hand. He then leapt forward and his stunned enemy barely managed to block the blow. When the inevitable counter-attack came, Kadral found that he could sense it and was able to block. He rained down a series of blows that were powered by a strength he knew he hadn't possessed before.

Despite the rage burning in his mind, Kadral managed to keep a level enough head to remember what his _ba'buir_ taught him and, now that his strength and reflexes were on par with the padawan he was facing, the battle began to turn in his favor. A single mistake could end the fight for either of them. Kadral recognized his opportunity as the padawan put just a little too much strength behind a swing.

Seizing the chance, the Mandalorian deflected the blade to the side, leaving his opponent open. The _Jetii_ wore no armor, allowing Kadral to land a textbook stab to the heart. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity as the young man's eyes dimmed, and he fell off of Kadral's blade. Through the blood rushing in his ears, he heard his father fire off a pair of blaster bolts and turned toward the sound. Kadral staggered as the Force energy that had been bolstering his system started to falter. His arm slid around someone's shoulder. Corbin's he dimly realized. Kadral barely registered the familiar comfort of his father's voice, and the whine of the jetpack as they soared toward the Haran Senar. The last thing he remembered before slipping into unconsciousness was Corbin's manic laughter as he used his flamethrower to create the wall of fire that aided their escape.


	6. Epilogue

**Birth of a Warrior: Epilogue.**

 **AN: Well, this is the last part of the story. I don't think it's long enough to become a chapter, but it ties up a few things from Chapter 5. This has been a fun journey. Thank you so much to Cinlat, for Betaing this and adding a good chunk of the descriptors. And Thank You, reader, for reading. It's been a pleasure to share this with you, and I hope you liked it.**

* * *

" _Investigations into the murders of Lord Silus Ulgo, Jedi Master Garnet Menuk, his padawan Race Colson, and Jedi Knight Noki Sol continue, though progress is hampered due to a fire caused by one of the Mandalorian Bounty Hunters during a confrontation with guards..."_

"It's been two days," Brycis remarked as he cleaned his blaster. "You'd think something else newsworthy would have happened in the galaxy."

"For that matter," Mako added, leaning over his shoulder. "I think that those holonet news broadcasters should be paying you royalties for all the stories you give them." Her husband glanced over and chuckled, prompting Mako to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Ah, but what would I do with the money?" he asked, reassembling his weapon without breaking eye contact with his wife. Mako pretended to think for a moment, then grinned.

"Vacation? I was thinking of a nice lakeside cabin. Or cabins. Torian and the boys to one cabin," she slipped into his lap, and her voice took on a seductive purr, "and one all to ourselves."

"After two back to back missions, I think we all deserve a rest," Brycis agreed.

"I assume the raid went well?"

"Oh yeah. _Mav Traat'aliit_ hasn't had a raid in awhile. It was nice to get out again." Brycis smirked at the memory of his squad of ex-slaves, whose hobby was breaking up non-Imperial slave camps (and the occasional Imperial one if they could get away with it). It was mostly volunteer work, though most camps did have a fair stash of credits. Their recent attack on Silus Ulgo's compound had gone swimmingly. A few of the newly freed slaves had even decided to attempt the trials to become Mandalorians.

"How's Kadral doing?" Brycis asked, his face morphing into a concerned frown.

"He's doing well. Doc says he'll make a full recovery in a few weeks. Your father heard the story and is quite proud," Mako said with a smile. "As am I. But, he's still going to get chewed out when he gets off that bed."

* * *

"You're so lucky," Corbin complained to Kadral, gesturing at the still bedridden boy's bandaged side.

"I fail to see how getting stabbed with a lightsaber makes me 'lucky,'" Kadral frowned.

"But you're fine, and you'll get a scar. Chicks dig scars," Corbin winked.

"Yeah, but how often do I take my chestplate off? You're the lucky one," Kadral said, gesturing to the nearly healed scratch on his his _vod_ 's face. "Chicks can see that."

"I suppose it does give me a, shall we say, roguish charm," Corbin replied, waggling his eyebrows as he emphasized the last two words. Both boys fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter, Corbin significantly longer than Kadral as the injured boy clutched his wound in pain. Corbin laughed again, this time receiving a glare from Kadral.

"So, what are you going to do with the lightsaber," Corbin asked, picking up the trophy from Kadral's bedside table and tossing it in the air.

"Keep it, obviously. I might try to change the crystal, though. That green looks dumb." Kadral scowled at his friend. "And stop throwing it around like it's a toy. Or, worse, one of your knives."

Corbin ignored him, and was startled when the lightsaber froze in mid air for a few seconds, before wobbling and falling back into his hands. "I see you've been practicing."

"Not much else to do in here," the invalid answered, frustration evident in his voice. "I had to find some way to turn off the TV after you left that dumb kids holo on last time and took the remote. The Sith are right. Hate works."

"Aww, you used to love Perry the Pyjak," Mako called from the door.

Kadral resisted the urge to roll his eyes. " _Su cuy'gar, Buir_ ," He greeted his father, pointedly ignoring his mother.

"How'd the strike go?" Corbin asked.

"Perfectly. Good job getting those coordinates," Brycis answered with a pat on Corbin's shoulder. "Oh, and Gault said that Burkyca sends her congratulations," he added to both boys, referring to his daughter and Kadral's older sister, who had run off to seek "adventure and fortune," as she (and Gault) put it, in the smuggler world, much to Brycis's chagrin.

"Got any plans for when you get out of here?" Mako inquired.

"Might try merc work, maybe a few bounties," Kadral answered. "There's a whole galaxy out there." He glanced at Corbin, eager to stretch his wings. "Are we still going to be partners?"

"You'd have to stab me with this lightsaber to keep me away," Corbin grinned, shaking the weapon haphazardly as Kadral frowned at him. "I'll probably try to take some blaster smithing courses, though. But, that'll be later on. What about you? Are you ever going to try to get some formal training in the Force?"

"Maybe, in a few years," Kadral focused on the future, then shook the thoughts away. "If I get enough experience, I can blow through a lot of the more dangerous courses in the Sith academy. But, like I said, years away. I may never do it."

"A Mandalorian Sith." Brycis considered the idea with a chuckle. "I'm not sure the galaxy is ready for that.


End file.
